Drop wire compressor for warp drawing machines



Oct. 9, 1945. R. P. DRAKE 2,386,600

DROP WIRE COMPRESSOR FOR WARP DRAWING MACHINES Filed Dec. 24, 1943 kSheets-Sheeti N a? i iZ'IIm LL a INVENTOR Russell P. Drake ATTORNFVS Illllflllllllllll lllllllllllll lllhl Oct. 9, 1945 R. P. DRAKE DROP WIRE COMPRESSOR FOR WARP'DRAWING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 24, 1943 INVEP ITOR Russell P. .Dra/fe @WMQ ATTORNEYS hundred and eighty degrees and fixed "t'ri the- Patented Oct. 9, 1945 2,386,6(lll:

'corporatibn of v Illinois A p-lumen December 24, 194-3 is'efieliNd. 5155511 The present inventien' pertains tdWaTp-diawin'g machines and its general object is toin'shr the freleese of -drop=wires-for presentation suc ceesliv'ely tq" thedrawlng in needle or a fii awi-fit i-mmachine. 1 i'j I Another: obj eet is to provide a -practiafl mes-ha anisln for cbmbressini: and {Compactinga bafik t drop wires -o'n a releagse e m suh e maemne; Mbrep'ertieulafly, this an eb'ject-tb prey ideja mechanism fa]? holding a baeheiageinst whalnk of dropfwh ee on "a selectively operated release key nf'such' manner thatthe hacker a'dvancecl in a ee'ordelnee-"with the variehle--re1easei*of*the drop :w ires fiom' the bank byth key, but ih whi h' we reaetieng of the e61'np'ress'ec'l.for 'compaeted ban en the beelgerfis utilizedto limit the "presi on hank" by intermittently'diseblifigifthe aavancmg-meghamsm fer" "the liekerl forwardler rd qf' arevolulcilekey shaftfflwb; Each dionmfe bu f -provided" wlth a-k'ey'hole v I2 sueh'ke yhele being staggerewin sucdesslve d f'p wires thebank' in the usual manner so 5 tlitt" upon ealch'fs-uecessive onemeu revolution of tli'e-Telea'se key the'neXtsucceeding one or the 'of ;d1 op Wiies will be released; Inthepreset'lt instance= dron-Wi'r esare slidably' received ehstihhoftln'g farls'flfi passing" through" longitudilim sltsfM in their upper pbl tlonsjwhlle the let/er endsof" the drop -wires' eire 'slidably "rested on supporting bars l5 (see Figs ril and S): The r'ea-r enfds 'of the release keyshejfts- Ilbe-re'releasabli' ee-ured --t e{-u sue1 "drive chueks 4 6* provide ffe-lf'thern m'the werp'drawingmaehine; the lat r helngrreilqlubl'y'mountedon 'the front face inte' -therear lace-uf wh-ich enter 8 revolvingthe release keys mrmerrdp'jects and' a vantages 0f theinveninfuygsdq: L Y ti0n",Wil1"'bec meeppairent as"thefollowlng de fiPsuchan installation the" problem, which in connection withthe Fig; 2"i's' a 13lan view of the aipparatueof jFigfl: 2

Fig-T 3 is a enlargedsectio al-v1 take stantially falong; t-li'e line -3 3 Fig. 1;-

is'--9;" fragr'rientairy sectional view taken -e bii Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective =v'iewflof one of th'e Banks of" drop wires and its elesociated Fig. *5) *sp'iraled with at long "leaid thrbuglhfjone d vdlvingkeys'. "In the'i'llustrat'iveconstructione plurality of hacker fingei'sfl 9, one Torea'eh'bundle (Figs: 1,2 and 5') 1 'a e ai'r anged to press against the f feat faces foffthe banks; of drop wires in" the eirea surrounding the keyhdlds 12;" 'To accommodaptefsu'eh" "lqeatin' 0f the hacker fingers l'9 they"areubri'gitudinwy slotted for free recepti bn of the "key i hafts 4 1 b which passv through themffsubhrhaeker fingers l9f aie slidhbly re- Ceiiieiillngmoxiesffllf (Fig; 2) 'in th .tOpOf a braeketlgl haiv ing a ebver plate 22fthereon which overlies? the rea ends oi the backer. fingersi V qualliging-eonneqtien between the hacker fingers l-9 COIllStltlltQd hY a,- pinion Zfifi-Eig: 2) jgurntledgon thetopofthe bracket 2! and meshing? with reck-yteeth 24 ;-on the opposed. faces -0f therbaekenfingersi As the bracket, 2 lpmovesiorward the hackerfingers engage the rear-facesofqthehanhsof dropwires and automatically-adjust their Tre'lat-ive; positions; through theracti'on of the pinionflarand :ra'cks' 24', to equalize the preSsmempiolidato the bundles'xof dropwires.

The :bracketl 'Zal *risesfrom and *is :r ig'id with a. carriage? 25;- (Fig; :1 mounted by. rollers: 2'6T'0n a. ran-1'12 zflz'fdr rfiovement :wward-and l away from the bundlee 'fldm'p -wiresz" Themil 2 'lconstitutes a frame: he mil for the :varieusparteoff-themachine fi'eifi' shown and ii'i'so'far as I their "action is- -"ccin'eined ednstitute s' al' *Statienhtjf sup p'ort; although the entire structure may be mountedbhi rollers 28 to facilitate moving the mechanism into working position.

Power for advancing the backer carriage is derived from a continuously revolving drive shaft 29 (Fig. 1) journaled in a bracket 290; on the rail 21. In brief, a pawl and ratchet mechanism designated generally as 30 is actuated by the shaft 29 and turns a pinion 3| meshed with a rack 32 for advancing the backer carriage 25 in accordance with the selective release of the drop wires incident to the operation of the release keys. As

is hereinafter detailed, provision is made for dis.-

abling the drive mechanism whenever the pressure on the banks of drop wires l0 exceeds a predetermined value, herein determined by the:tension of a contractile spring 33."

The pawl and ratchet mechanism 30 comprises a drive pawl 39a (Figs. 1 and4). anda ratchet wheel 3%. The drive pawl 30a is carried by an eccentric 35 on a shaft 36. The latter shaft 36 in turn carriesa helical gear 31 meshing with a similargear 38 on" the drive shaft 29. A tension by side.

The holding or backup pawl 45 mentioned above (Figs. 1, 3 and 4) is pivoted on a stud 46 journaled eccentrically in a headed sleeve 45a (Figs. 3 and 4) for purposes of adjustment, the sleeve being mounted in a block 46%) suitably fastened to the bracket 29a. The pawl is urged toward the ratchet by a tension spring 41 anchored together with the spring 39 to the adjusting screw 39a. in the lower end of the bracket 40, the springs 39 and 41 for the two pawls being disposed side An adjustable stop 49 limits the movement of the backup pawl 45 so that the latter is engaged with the ratchet 3% only when the lever 42 supporting the latter is pulled over against its stop 44. yAccordingly, the ratchet wheel is freed .from the backup pawl whenever compression of the drop wires exceeds the limit determined by the spring 33, .thereby disabling the ratchet drive i at such time through disengagement of the back spring 39 holds the drive pawl 30:; in operative engagement with the ratchet wheel at' all times,

one end of the spring being anchored to the pawl i;

and the other toan adjusting screw 39a carried by a bracket bolted to the tie bar 21. The pawl 39a is thus oscillated by power derived from the drive shaft 29, advancing the ratchet wheel 30?) step-b-y-step. The ratchet 30b is coaxial with the pinion 3| and is rigid therewith so that they revolve as a unit.

At its forward end the rack 32 is rigidly connected by an arm 4| with the backer carriage 25 so that if the pinion 3| were held against bodily movement in a direction fore and aft of the rack, the drive as so far described would result in a substantially continuous step-by-step advance of the backer carriage. Provision is made, however, for bodily motion 6f the pinion 3| in a direction rearwardly of'the rack 32 (i. e., to the right as viewed. in' Fig. 1) when a predetermined pressure on the banks'of drop wires I0 is r'e'ached,s'o-as to disable the drive against further advance of the backer carriage 25 until the pressure falls below such predetermined value. l T

The pinion 3| and its attached ratchet3flb are fioatingly supported for movement generally fore andaft of the rack 32' by a lever 42 (Figs. 1 and 4) which is pivotedintermediate its ends at 43 on the tie bar 21. The pinion and ratchet are freelyjournaled on the lower end of this lever 42'. The contractile spring 33, heretofore noted, is anchored at its opposite ends to the upper end of the lever 42 and to an adjusting screw' 43 in the upper portion of the bracket 40';'thus'urging the lever 42 to swing in a clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 1) against an adjustable stop 44. So long as thespring 33 holds the lever 42 against the stop, the rotation of the pinion 3| (in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1) will advance the rack32. When the compression of the drop wires I0 becomes sufiiciently great, however, to overcome the tension of the spring 33, the advance of the rack'32 stops and'the continued rotation of the pinion 3| causes it to roll in a rearward direction along the rack (to the right as viewed in Fig. 1). .Upon such movement of the pinion to the right, the. ratchet 30b is disengaged from a coacting backup pawl 45, whereupon the drive for advancing the rack 32 is disabledand remains disabled until the drop, wire compression diminishes sufliciently that the spring 33 can again pull the lever 42 over against the stop 44. x

up pawl.

To facilitate withdrawal of the backer carriage 25, a hand lever 50 is constituted by an upward extension of the drive pawl 30a. Upon swinging this lever 50 clockwise (as viewed in Fig. 1) both of the pawls 36a and 45 are withdrawn from engagement with the ratchet, the backup pawl 45 having a laterally extending pin 5| thereon engageable by the rear edge of the drive pawl so that as the latter moves rearwardly it will pull the backup pawl with it.

' The operation of the apparatus will in general be clear from the foregoing' By way of recapitulation it may benoted that the drop wires I0 are positioned on their supports |3, IS, the release 1' keys threaded therethrough in the usual manner,and the shafts of such release keys engaged in the chucks "5. To bring the backer fingers I9 into engagement with the respective banks of drop wires, the operator'has only to grasp the carriage 25 and push it forward. During such advance the ratchet wheel 30b rides freely past the pawls without any necessity for tripping the ratchet mechanism. Having thuspreliminarily positioned the carriage 25, the operator starts the power drive for the machine, whereupon the drive shaft 29 is set in motion and the ratchet mechanism 39 revolves the pinion 3| slowly, stepby-step, to advance the rack 32 and attached carriage 25, thereby compressing the banks of drop wires ||J. v r 7 Whenever the compression of the banks of drop Wires reaches the predetermined value determined by the tension of the regulating spring 33, further advance of the rack 32 ceases for the time being and the subsequent rotation of the pinion 3| by the drive pawl 3Gb caus-es it to roll rearwardly along the rack. The lever 42 thus swings away from its stop andthe ratchet 3|lb-is disengaged from its backup pawl 45 so that the ratchet drive is, in eifect, disabled. As further drop wires are released from the banks, the resistance to advance of the rack 32 diminishes until the contractile spring 33 finally succeeds in pulling the lever 42 back against its stop 44, whereupon the ensuing rotation of the pinion. 3| advances the rack 32 again. Such advance of the rack 32 continues, with intermittent interruptions, whenever the lever 42 leaves its stop 44, so that the force applied for advancing the carriage 25'is substantially uniform. The equalizer mechanism 23, 24 applies this force equally to the hacker fingers |9 irrespective or the relative sizes of the banks of drop wires against which the' backer fingers are pressed. y

meanest-.0

flioiwithdnawethe backerafingeri I19 ataamictime, it'he bperatorchaszonly toxgraspzthe'ilever Smzand zswing.;it.atoiidisengageirtheopawlsriifla;:45; where- :a'gainst 'the -samepa backer shiftab'le to compress a bank:ot dropswires' -on the r'elease key, a drive connection for advancing-said backeraineluding drivingsand driven-toothed members me'shed with each other, and biasing means tony ieldablyu rging the drivmg member against bodily movement relative: to the driven: member toiihold the same releasably an operative position f or advance :of "'thedriven member." I Y In -a wairp drawing machine,- thei-combinationot a release key rotatable toz'release su'cces *sive ones or a -bank-ofdrop wires 1 compacted against the same, means including a -rack' tor compacting a bank of i dropw ires against the I release 1 key -upon longitudinal adyan'oe f if the *ra'ck a pinion meshed --With.- -said rack and having a ratchet r-igid therewith, means floatingly supporting said pinion' 'and -ratchet -or bod-ily movement fore and fafi'fi ofthe: rackwhile retaining the pinion in mesh :-=.with' the rack a d'rive *pawl 'engageable- -with= said.-*;ratchet through the latters range oi bodily movement iorrevolving the-ratchetand-pinion in a direction to advance the rack when the pinion is held against bodily movement, means for actuating said drive pawl, a stop for limiting bodily movement of said ratchet and pinion in a direction forwardly of the rack, and biasing means for yieldably urging said ratchet and pinion into their limit position defined by said stop.

4. In a warp drawing machine, the combination of a release key rotatable to release suc- .rack, a pinion meshed with said rack and having a ratchet rigid therewith, means floatingly supporting said pinion and ratchet for bodily movement fore and aft of the rack while retaining the pinion in mesh with the rack, a drive pawl engageabl with said ratchet through the latters range of bodily movement for revolving the ratchet and pinion in a direction to advance the rack when the pinion is held against bodily movement, means for actuating said drive pawl, a stop for limiting bodily movement of said ratchet and pinion in a direction forwardly of the rack, biasing means for yieldably urging said ratchet and pinion into their limit position defined by said stop, and a backup pawl engageabl with said ratchet to prevent reverse rotation of the same only when said ratchet and *pinionearea in fitheirrliniitiipos'itiomideiindsbyi said 6110p. 1.: .1 i I; 5. In a warp drawingzmzachinepmhescombines I dionzoftaL-irele'ase'ikeyzrotatahletitdmeleaseisuccessaid: stop.

tion =0f a revolublejrelease key asive zones sofcziaribank'; ofa'dropawires.-s:compacted against ithe a:same,ismeansiiincludingca for compactingaa bank; ofxdromwiressagfinst: the 1318iieasmkiaympo'nslongitudinaieadvanceiofiztheerack, azipinion meshedewithssaid :rank andshayingea ratchet -rigiditherewith-,2 a;-2lever; ;pivoted:to:.?swing doreianctaftmf theirackaandizhavingzsaid ratchet -an'dtrpinio'n-: journale'd 'thereonmforebodilymnoyement of the samez-foraiandiaft oflitherrack Iupon 1swinging;ofs'therleyers agdiolder {OPS-ShiftillgJSBld Flex/er :manually, 51a cdriveypawl gengageableswith ssaid' -ratchet. throu hout -.=t-he;; latterjs ::range.-;rof bodily -.;move men. mrrrevolvingnthe: ratchete: and wpinion' in; aizdirection itcxeadvanceathe: Iackewhen the ;pinion sis; held aagainstnbodily :movement, means for aactuatingrsaid:driver pawlv-za fstopior limitingubodily,:movement .aof said ratchet and. pinions nvadire. on forwardly; ofgtheiracksand biasing eanssiiorr xieldablya urei azsaid: ratchet ;.and pinion intor-t eirzzl-imiti positio'n-sdefinedizby Ygx -maehin themombina- .adaptdd 150.5133 threaded through a banksoindmpiwires:andstomer leasevthem on,e.-.bY.. one. asait reyolveaa ajibacker 6. In; auwarp ,dra,

release. k y; means-:-includin :=afratchet and a100- operatin zpawlgfonadx n nesa abacker to:com-,

press h ank, and;means onerablerinwresp nse to. attammentvof preidete mined; pressureeon the bank -for d1 ablingssaid pawlnand. ratchet 40 wires in.successioniromgbankscompacted against respective zones sir-hereof,iiindividualobackersifor each-:ofrsaid bankazaibackeriadvancingunember, :an,,-. equalizing {connection rzbetweenir all not: said .backers .xandasaidz-member, :adrive smeansiiforl :ad-

.yan'cing; saidnmember-ii-n axdireetiomtoecompress traversing movement toward and away from the I rear sides of banks of drop wires on respective ones of said keys, a pair of backer fingers mounted on said carriage for longitudinal sliding movement into engagement with respective ones of the banks to compress the same, an equalizing connection between said fingers including a pinion journaled on the carriage disposed between and meshed with racks on the respective fingers, drive means for advancing said carriage toward the banks of drop wires, and means operable in response to a predetermined resistance to advance of said carriage for disabling said drive means.

9. In a warp drawing machine having means operative to release drop wires one at a time from a bank for presentation successively to a drawing in needle, a pressure device, a rack bar connected with said device to move it, and power driven means for advancing said bar to maintain pressure upon the bank comprising a drive pinionmeshing with said rackbar and asupport'for said pinion yieldable to render the pinion inefiectivetomove the. rack bar. 210;; In a warp drawing machine havingmeans (operative to. release. drop wires from a bank one at a time for presentation successively to a draw.- ing in'needle, a pressure device a rack barrconvnectedwith said device to. move it, and power driven means for advancingsaidbar tournaintain pressure upon'thebank comprising .a. drive pinion meshing with said.v rack bar, ':a ratchet disk connected withsaid pinion, and a driving pawl engageable with said disk. v l

.11. In a warp drawing machine having means operative: to release drop Wires one at-a time from .a bank for presentation successively to i the drawing in needle, a pressure device,-a rack'bar connected with said device to move it, and power driven means foradvancing said bar to maintain pressure upon the bank, comprising a drive pinion meshing with said-rack bar, a ratchet disk rigid with said pinion,- a driving pawl engageable with said disk,- a holding pawl also associated with said disk, and a support for-said pinion and said disk yieldable to render the advance of the bar by the pinion inefiective, said holding pawl being also rendered inefiective as an incident to the yielding of such support. v I 12. In a Warp drawing machine, a mechanism for releasing drop wires from a bank one at'a time for presentation to a drawing in needle, a backer for said pack of drop'wires, and power driven means acting positively to advance said backer but yieldable when the pressure on the backer exceeds a predetermined value to render said means ineffective to advance the backer.

v13. .In a warp drawing machine having a revoluble release key adapted to be threaded through a bank of'dropwires and operative to release them one by oneas the key revolves, a backer shiftable to compress a bank of drop wires on the release key, a power driven shaft, and means forminga one way driving connection between said shaft and said backer for advancing the same. 14,..The combination with a backer shiftable to compress a bank of drop wires or the-like, a power driven shaft, and means forming a one way drivingconnection between said shaft and said backer Efor advancingthe same, said connection including a member yieldable when the pressure upon the backer exceeds a predetermined value whereby to disable the connection.

15;. The combination with abacker shiftable .to compress a bank of drop wires or the like,

:power driven means for advancingsaid backer toward the bank, said means including driven and actuating elements relatively disengageable manually. J

16. The combination with a backer shiftable t-ocompress a bank of drop wires or the like, power driven meansfor advancing saidbacker Ttowardthebank, said means including driven and actuating elements relatively yieldable automatically to interrupt the driving connection when means supporting one of said members for automatic disengagement from the other member member when the pressure upon said backer attains a predetermined value. v

19. The combination of a backer for a "bank of drop wires and thelike, means for advancing the backer to compress the bank including a driven element operatively associated. with the backer and a continuously driven actuator for said element, and means operable in response to the attainment of a predetermined pressure on the bank for disabling such actuator against further advance of the backer.

RUSSELL PQD AK'E. f 

